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Singh Balraj Rai, Byron Cobb and Leonard Oats show off their trophies at the 54th Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest.

This year, Byron Cobb took home top place in San Francisco's Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest — and what a show!

Yesterday's noon contest had great weather and a lot of help to make it a success. You may have caught some of the media coverage at KRON 4 or in The Chronicle. We are grateful for our entire team of judges, many of whom come year after year, who bring their fine-tuned listening skills to determine the best of the best. The amateur ringers use heart and humor to ring for their favorite charities. The music provided by our favorite local blues band, featuring Cable Car Division employees, Abel Sanchez & The Frisco Project — who know how to draw a crowd. Our super mistress of ceremonies, local comedienne Debi Durst, keeps the afternoon fun and humming along. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a show without the hard working, talented men and women of San Francisco's Cable Cars.

Earlier this year, Muni's new light-rail vehicles (LRVs) started arriving and undergoing testing on city streets to go into revenue service by the end of this year. While testing has been ongoing for months, none of it has been in the subway system. That is about to change as underground services are set to close down on weeknights and weekends for a month so this crucial step of rigorous testing can take place.

The testing requires the Muni subway to close early on weeknights and over the weekends for four weeks. Testing will begin with the start of service on Saturday, July 22 (approximately 7 a.m.) and continue until the end of regular service on Sunday, Aug. 20 (approximately 1 a.m., Monday).

There will be no testing during Outside Lands, Aug. 11 to 13. Trains will operate on the surface portion of the lines with Muni bus shuttles running between Embarcadero Station and St. Francis Circle. The subway testing will be conducted between West Portal and Montgomery stations; Embarcadero Station will remain open for T Line customers.

Update: On Tuesday July 18, the On-Street Shared Vehicle Parking Permit Program was approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors.

Curbside parking spaces dedicated to shared vehicles have been around for a few years as part of an SFMTA pilot program. On Tuesday, our board of directors will consider creating a permanent on-street parking permit program for them.

Vehicle sharing services help free up parking spaces for those who need them most by giving people the flexibility they need to sell their car (or forego buying one). As we wrote in January, one of the key findings in our On-Street Car Sharing Pilot Program Evaluation Report (PDF) was that the average on-street shared vehicle in San Francisco is used by 19 people.

The idea behind providing on-street spaces for shared vehicles, whether they're cars or electric mopeds, is to make them more convenient to use for more residents. Since 2014, we've permitted about 200 spaces under the On-Street Car Sharing Pilot Program to supplement the spaces in parking garages and lots.

After last week's action-packed start to the summer, this quieter weekend provides a chance to catch your breath with this month's Sunday Streets taking place in the heart of the Mission. Read more below

The crowd on Valencia at 21st Street during Sunday Streets in the Mission last year.

During a two-month trial, two Muni buses will carry these bigger bike racks that can hold a third bicycle.

Combining bikes and Muni is a popular, efficient way to get around – especially if you're traveling longer distances or up one of San Francisco's notoriously steep hills. It's so popular, in fact, that once your bus arrives, both slots on its bike rack might be full at times.

At this popular and lively competition, the best of the SFMTA’s cable car conductors and grips demonstrate their skill and rhythm to vie for the coveted title of Bell Ringing World Champion. Five local public personalities will also compete in an amateur bell ringing contest to raise money for a local nonprofit of their choice.

In the early 1970s, Muni explored some curious bus technologies to provide cleaner, quieter public transit and improve quality of life across the city. One such experiment was a 19th-century throwback wrapped in a 20th-century shell: a steam-powered bus.

Muni's experimental steam turbine bus being tested on Market at Sansome Street on August 23, 1972.

Near-term improvements proposed for Folsom and Howard streets include elements similar to those in this parking-protected bike lane and transit boarding island on 7th Street.

Safety, loading and transit improvements are proposed for Folsom and Howard streets in the South of Market District this winter, and you can get a look at them at one of our two open house meetings next week.

The Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project will bring amenities to make SoMa safer and more pleasant to walk, bike, live and work in. However, implementing longer-term changes is expected to take more than five years to finalize the design, coordinate with utility work, change signal times and pour miles of concrete. So when talking with neighbors, local businesses and those who use Folsom and Howard, we made a commitment to look at near-term safety improvements.

After an exciting holiday weekend, the city still has plenty to offer. Ready or not, here are some of the upcoming events for this weekend, including the King of the Streets Lowrider Cruise, Across the Bay 12k & 5k, and Giants baseball. Read more about our featured events below.

Spend more time cheering for the Giants, and less time waiting in line, by purchasing your Muni fare in advance through the MuniMobile app.

How to Get There on Muni: The E Embarcadero, N Judah and T Third lines as well as the 10 Townsend, 30 Stockton, 45 Union/Stockton and 47 Van Ness routes will get you close to the ballpark. For more details on biking, taxis or parking during baseball season, visit our service alert press release.

Muni Service Note: Additional ballpark shuttle trains will be provided to assist fans with both pre- and post-game service. Patrons should expect minor service delays near the ballpark due to heavier pedestrian and vehicle traffic.